The FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) held its Fourth Session in Rome from 10 to 13 December 2002. The Committee welcomed the attention and prominence given by the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 to fisheries issues and provided detailed guidance on how to operationalize the time-bound goals in fisheries of WSSD 2002 in the context of responsible fisheries. The Committee recommended the establishment of an ACFR working party on small-scale marine fisheries to elaborate a draft research agenda and undertake an evaluation of the role and importance of these fisheries. It also designated the building of human capacity as its next “mega-priority cross-cutting issue”.
